Show'N Tell

Show'N Tell was a mid-century children's audiovisual toy manufactured by General Electric beginning in October 1964. Designed to combine the familiarity of a home record player with the visual appeal of a small television-like display, the unit played a narrated or musical record while projecting a sequence of color filmstrip images onto a built-in screen. Its central concept was the synchronization of sound and pictures without electronic image control: a specially prepared record supplied the audio, while the rotation of the turntable mechanically advanced the filmstrip through the viewing mechanism. The original appliance resembled a compact television set, with a record player mounted on its top. A Show'N Tell program consisted of a record and a flat plastic key approximately 11 inches long that contained a strip of 16mm color film. The key was inserted into the top of the device. As the record played, the filmstrip advanced automatically, presenting illustrations that corresponded to the spoken story, song, or educational material. Because the advance mechanism was driven mechanically by turntable rotation, users generally needed to spin the turntable manually for several revolutions before starting a presentation so that the system would operate correctly. Show'N Tell was positioned both as an entertainment product and as an educational aid. Its initial program catalog was organized into seven libraries containing 35 programs: Fairy Tales and Cartoons, Children's Favorite Classics I, Children's Favorite Classics II, History, Science and Space, The World We Live In, and Steps to Knowledge. The catalog expanded rapidly; by 1965, approximately 140 programs were available. Individual presentations typically used 15 color slides and lasted about four minutes. The system also supported licensed properties and recognizable children's content, including programs connected with Disney and Sesame Street. Advertising also referred to titles such as Pinocchio, Peter Pan, and The Wizard of Oz, as well as educational programs developed with World Book Encyclopedia. Although primarily promoted as a picture-and-sound system, the original Show'N Tell was also a conventional record player. It could play records at 16, 33 1/3, 45, and 78 revolutions per minute through its built-in speaker. The original unit was priced at $29.95, while individual Picturesound programs sold for 99 cents and a library of five programs cost $4.95. In 1966, General Electric introduced a smaller and less expensive compact version, model A605, priced at $19.95. The Show'N Tell name continued in a substantially redesigned product sold by CBS Toys in the early 1980s under the Child Guidance brand as the Show'N Tell Phono-Viewer. The later unit supported only 33 1/3 and 45 RPM records and could not accommodate full-size 12-inch LPs. It added the option of projecting the image onto an external surface, such as a wall or screen, rather than limiting viewing to the built-in display. The product is now primarily remembered as a historical example of pre-digital multimedia learning and children's entertainment hardware.

General Electric introduced Show'N Tell in October 1964 as a combined record player and filmstrip viewer for children. The product was manufactured at GE's facility in Utica, New York. Its cabinet was styled to resemble a small television, but the top contained a turntable rather than a broadcast tuner. The machine's purpose was to present sound and pictures together in a format that required little reading ability and could be used at home. The system used specially matched Picturesound programs. Each program paired a record with a flat plastic filmstrip holder, approximately 11 inches long, containing 16mm color film. After the holder was inserted, the record supplied narration, dialogue, music, or other audio while the film images appeared on the built-in screen. The image sequence was advanced by a mechanical linkage connected to the rotating turntable. This approach avoided the need for electronic synchronization, but it also meant that the user had to manually rotate the turntable a few times before beginning a presentation to place the mechanism in its expected operating position. The first program libraries covered both entertainment and instruction. The initial 35 programs were divided among seven groupings: Fairy Tales and Cartoons; Children's Favorite Classics I; Children's Favorite Classics II; History; Science and Space; The World We Live In; and Steps to Knowledge. Programs generally used 15 color images and ran for roughly four minutes. The catalog grew to about 140 programs by 1965, and licensed material broadened the system's appeal. Disney and Sesame Street properties were among the licensed content, while advertised examples also included Pinocchio, Peter Pan, and The Wizard of Oz. World Book Encyclopedia was associated with educational programs created for the platform. Show'N Tell had a dual identity as an audiovisual toy and as a basic phonograph. The original machine could play records at 16, 33 1/3, 45, and 78 RPM using its built-in speaker. The launch price of the unit was $29.95. Individual Picturesound programs were priced at 99 cents, and a five-program library cost $4.95. GE expanded the line in 1966 with the compact A605 model, priced at $19.95. The original GE production continued into the 1970s. In the early 1980s, CBS Toys sold a later version called the Show'N Tell Phono-Viewer under the Child Guidance brand. This redesign differed materially from the earlier GE hardware. It offered only 33 1/3 and 45 RPM playback, could not play complete 12-inch LP records, and provided a way to direct the projected image onto an outside surface such as a wall or separate screen. The product therefore persisted as a recognizable format even as its hardware and brand context changed. Show'N Tell belongs to the history of analog educational media and home multimedia. Its significance lies in making synchronized spoken stories, music, and still images available through a relatively simple consumer device before home video and digital media became widespread.

1. 1980Later Phono-Viewer version appears

   In the early 1980s, CBS Toys sells a substantially redesigned Show'N Tell Phono-Viewer under the Child Guidance brand.

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2. 1966Compact A605 model introduced

   General Electric releases a smaller Show'N Tell model, the A605, at a lower price than the original unit.

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3. 1965Program catalog expands

   The available catalog reaches approximately 140 programs, including licensed children's properties and educational material.

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4. 1964General Electric introduces Show'N Tell

   General Electric begins manufacturing the Show'N Tell record-player and filmstrip-viewer combination at its Utica, New York facility in October.

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5. 1964Initial Picturesound libraries launch

   The first catalog contains 35 programs organized into seven entertainment and educational libraries.

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A child-oriented home entertainment and educational system combining narrated records with automatically synchronized color filmstrips.

• Original Show'N TellChildren's audiovisual toy1964

  The original GE Show'N Tell was a television-shaped tabletop device with a record player on top and a built-in projection screen. It synchronized a record with a mechanically advancing 16mm color filmstrip held in a flat plastic key. The player could also function as a standard phonograph at 16, 33 1/3, 45, and 78 RPM. It was designed for short narrated stories, songs, cartoons, and educational presentations.

• Picturesound programsAudiovisual media program1964

  Picturesound programs were matched record-and-filmstrip packages made for Show'N Tell. A typical presentation used 15 color slides and lasted about four minutes. The catalog included fairy tales, cartoons, classic children's material, history, science, space, general knowledge, and educational subjects. Licensed properties included Disney and Sesame Street material, alongside titles such as Pinocchio, Peter Pan, and The Wizard of Oz.

• Show'N Tell Compact A605Compact audiovisual toy1966

  The A605 was General Electric's compact Show'N Tell model, introduced in 1966 as a smaller and less expensive alternative to the original player. It retained the basic concept of combining record playback with synchronized filmstrip viewing.

• Show'N Tell Phono-ViewerChildren's audiovisual toy1980

  The later Phono-Viewer was sold by CBS Toys in the early 1980s under the Child Guidance brand. It was substantially redesigned from the GE-era machine, supported only 33 1/3 and 45 RPM records, and could not play full 12-inch LPs. A projection feature allowed images to be moved from the built-in screen onto an external wall or screen.

1. Show'N Tell